Unconditional Love
by Ace-Of-Spades-2014
Summary: Character Study of Maryse Lightwood after episode 2x08 "Love is a Devil"


Mayse Trueblood had been raised to understand that there was no such thing as unconditional love. Love was something that had to be earned, something that you had to prove yourself worthy of obtaining.

To keep her parents' love, she knew she had to be the best. She had to be the top student, the best soldier, the greatest strategist. And when she had failed to do so, they had sent her away. For her older brother, Max, she had tried to be a confidant, a partner, a friend, but in the end none of that had been good enough either. He had fallen prey to the whims of a mundane woman, and had forsaken all in the ShadowWorld to go live by her side, never giving a second thought to his little sister.

The loss of his love, along with that of her parents, had left her a lost cynical teenager when she entered into the Shadowhunter Academy. It was there that she'd met Valentine Morgenstern, back in a time when he'd been charming and idealistic, as well as Robert Lightwood. She'd fallen in love with both men; one to worship and one in which she pled sacred vows to, and she had thought she too had been loved.

When this new love had come around, she had tried even harder to earn and keep it. The Circle became her family and she'd done all that she could to prove herself worthy. For them, she fought and rallied forces and committed unspeakable acts. She had sacrificed everything she had and everything she had been. All in the effort to be loved.

But in the end, she hadn't been enough. Just like the love of her family, the love of both men receded.

The Circle fell, with those that remained betraying the cause. Before the end had come, she had betrayed it too. Valentine had shown his true hand, shown that he loved no one but himself, and therefore did not deserve her loyalty. Plus, she had a son by that time, a baby boy that needed her more than anyone else had ever needed her before.

Only Robert had stayed from that part of her life, but after being sentenced to the New York Institute, it became obvious that he only stayed for the honor of the Lightwood name. He no longer felt anything towards her. He blamed her for their involvement in the Circle, resenting her for what had become of his life.

Yet despite knowing she'd been living in a loveless marriage for the past twenty something years, knowing that love itself was a fragile construct, she still had to fight back the tears at the thought of her husband sharing another woman's bed.

Those tears were even harder to fight back when Alec and Jace had cornered her in the Institute's hallway and learned the truth. Shame overwhelmed her, so sure that her children would side with Robert. It was no secret that they preferred him over her anyways. Why wouldn't they? They, along with Isabelle, would know how much she was undeserving of someone's love. She was certainly unworthy of their love now after all that had happened.

Instead of doing what she expected, her boys softened in their expression, sympathy shining in their eyes. Jace cursed, "That bastard", and Alec enveloped her into his comforting embrace. For all the wrong that she done to them, her boys forgave her. They still loved her.

And that, she was suddenly realizing, was unconditional love.

After awhile, she sent them away. "Get some rest." She ordered gently with a kiss to each of their cheeks. "It's been a long day."

They chuckled at the understatement but did as they were told. It was probably the first time in months either of them had done what she had said without question. Whether it was because of their sympathy towards her in that moment or because they truly were exhausted, she didn't know. What she did know was that she could feel a new set of fresh tears stinging her eyes, completely vulnerable in the face of her newfound realization. She watched her boys head down the hall to their respective rooms, her heart warmed because of them.

She too, loved them - loved all of her children - unconditionally. It was now time she started acting like it.


End file.
